THROUGH THE CHANGING YEAR 133 



to enjoy its peculiar charm — and we have 

 limited ourselves here to scenes in which trees 

 play a chief part, and said nothing about much 

 else that is beautiful in the time of pause — 

 before there comes all the quick excitement of 

 the spring-time. For a time we almost forget 

 the trees ; we are too eagerly watching for the 

 snowdrop, the crocus, the violet and the daffodil, 

 and enjoying their beauty as they come. But, 

 in due time, the trees assert their claim to our 

 attention. Little brown buds become points 

 of green. ''Rosy plumelets tuft the larch." 

 We are surprised, unless we have been watch- 

 ing, to find the hazel catkins full of pollen even 

 in February; and, looking closely, we see the 

 little crimson, female flowers. Soon we see a 

 spot of white amid the tender green of the 

 opening plum-blossom, and pink begins to 

 show amid the green of the pear-bloom. The 

 apple will soon follow. Too early they open, 

 all of them, many a spring-time ; they are 

 caught by the late frosts ; and hopes that had 

 been formed before winter was far advanced 

 are seen to be doomed to disappointment. 



The mention of the bloom of our fruit-trees 

 suggests a somewhat fuller reference than has 



